a world apart
by Storage-Jar
Summary: Annabeth misses him. /During the Son of Neptune, but no spoilers. Companion piece to "in the stars"


Disclaimer - Rick Riordan owns the Percy Jackson series.

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><p>::<em> a world apart <em>::

I was in bed, with my eyes wide open, the darkness of the night around me.

It's been hours. I've went through the Fibonacci sequence up to a couple thousands in my head; usually I'd be asleep by then. Tonight, I've tried all sorts of other sequences: square numbers, cube numbers, triangular numbers, geometric, arithmetic. None of them worked. I was still awake.

My siblings were sleeping soundly. I booted up my laptop, the delta symbol glowing a faint blue. I briefly glanced at some architectural supports, but I just couldn't concentrate.

I decided that maybe I needed some fresh air. Fresh air helped the brain circulate blood.

Grabbing my blanket, cap and dagger, I silently left my cabin and walked to the beach.

Seeing the ocean comforted me. It wasn't always that way. I use to find the ocean unappealing. The salty stench always seemed to hit my nose hard; I hated wet sand in my shoes; and what irked me more than wet sand in my shoes were wet blueprints.

Often, when I couldn't sleep, I would sit under Thalia's tree, but it's funny how these little things changed – how my perspective of the world changed – because of a certain someone. Because of _him._

Now, the sea-salt air seemed milder, maybe even sweet. I still hate wet sand in my shoes and wet blueprints, but they don't bother me as much anymore. I can always blow-dry them.

Spreading out my blanket, I laid on it with my hair tucked in my cap and my dagger sheathed to my side.

I was invisible in the night, without a trace and utterly lost in thought. Except for the blanket, nothing hinted I was even on this beach, at this camp, in this world. Even my breathing was but a whisper in the wind.

I missed his sea-green eyes and his lush black hair I used to run my fingers through.

Generally, I missed his presence. My insides ached from his absence. I longed for him.

I couldn't even bring myself to think, much less say, his name without tears welling up in my eyes.

It was completely illogical. I was the daughter of Athena, a girl of strategy, wit, and speed. I was born to battle, through both the mind and the body. I was strong, no doubt. But here I was, _practically in tears_ over a _name._

Well, _his _name.

And that was the difference, I suppose, and why all reason flew out the window. With him_, _maybe the world _could_ start spinning backwards. He was just being him_, _always taking my breath away at the least expected moment.

I gazed wistfully up at the stars.

At the tip of Capricorn, shining brightly was _the _star. _Our _star, the one he picked for us.

It almost felt like that star at the tip of Capricorn was our very last connection. Without it, we were just separate and lost.

I was fairly certain that we were only a couple thousand miles from each other, if I had calculated and factored everything in correctly – which I usually did – but I couldn't help but feel like we were a world apart.

In a sense, we were.

I was in the Greek world; he, the Roman. Two similar aspects, yes, but different enough to be distinctly labelled two worlds.

This gap between us was growing and expanding, endlessly wide.

We were once so aligned to one another. He knew exactly what was running through my owl-brain, and I could read his seaweed-filled head.

I wasn't so sure anymore, and that was what worried me. I was always confident with myself before.

_What if he doesn't remember me?_

_What if he changed so much I won't be able to recognize him?_

_What if he doesn't like me anymore and he found someone else?_

No, no, no, no, no, no...

As I stared into the night sky, at that star at the tip of Capricorn, now only faintly glowing, I knew.

None of that could be possible.

I realized even if we were in fact, a world apart, he would, unquestionably, remember.

Why?

Because, he was... well, _him. _He was my Seaweed Brain, that's why.

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><p>an - I hope you guys liked this piece of writing. I'll be taking a break from writing Percy Jackson fanfic. because plot ideas are running low. Think of this as an early Christmas present from me. Please review.


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